Consumer Device Firmware Updating via Hdmi

2. The television of claim 1, wherein the data stream clock and synchronization module clock signal output is operatively connected to an audio input of the audio device via the audio return channel of an HDMI ARC cable.

3. The television of claim 1, wherein the firmware update data buffer comprises a clock signal input, and the data stream clock and synchronization module clock signal output is connected to the firmware update data buffer clock signal input.

4. The television of claim 1, further comprising a host transceiver having an output connected to the HDMI ARC cable audio return channel, a multiplexer clock signal input connected to the data stream clock and synchronization module multiplexer clock signal output, and a multiplexed signal input connected to the firmware data and audio data multiplexer.

5. The television of claim 1, wherein the multiplexer is configured to receive audio data at a first data rate and transmit multiplexed data at a multiple of the first data rate.

6. The television of claim 5, wherein the multiplexer is configured to transmit audio data received at the first input and at the first data rate to an audio input of the audio device in a first portion of data frames having a frame period at the multiple of the first data rate.

7. The television of claim 6, wherein the multiplexer is configured to transmit firmware update data received at the second input and at the first data rate to the audio input of the audio device in a second portion of the data frames having the frame period at the multiple of the first data rate.

8. The television of claim 6, wherein the multiplexer is configured to transmit audio data received at the first input and at the first data rate to the audio device input in a first portion of a bit period at the multiple of the first data rate.

9. The television of claim 8, wherein the multiplexer is configured to transmit firmware update data received at the second input and at the first data rate to the audio input of the audio device in a second portion of the bit period at the multiple of the first data rate.

10. The television of claim 1, wherein the television is selectively connectable to a remote server to receive firmware update data for the audio device.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising an audio device transceiver connected to the audio device input.

13. The television of claim 1, wherein the audio data signal input receives an audio data signal at a first rate, the television further comprising a processor, and a non-transitory, computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor selectively connects the multiplexer output to one of the first and second input at a specified switching frequency and transmits data from the one of the first and second input at a multiple of the first rate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of receiving the audio data signal comprises receiving the audio data signal at a first rate, and step of multiplexing the audio data signal and the firmware update signal to create a multiplexed signal comprises transmitting the audio data at a rate that is a multiple of the first rate during a subperiod of one selected from a frame period and bit period.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of transmitting the multiplexed signal to the audio device further comprises transmitting the multiplexed signal through the audio return channel of an HDMI ARC cable.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of receiving a data signal comprising multiplexed audio and firmware update data signals and an embedded synchronization clock signal comprises receiving the data signal comprising multiplexed audio and firmware update data signals and an embedded synchronization clock signal via an audio return channel of an HDMI cable.

22. The audio device of 22, wherein the demultiplexer comprises a control signal input operatively connected to the central processing unit, a demultiplexed audio signal output operatively connected to an audio processor, and a demultiplexed firmware update signal output operatively connected to a firmware update receiver, and wherein the audio processor and the firmware update receiver are operatively connected to the central processing unit.

23. The audio device of claim 22, further comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the central processing unit, cause a control signal to be transmitted to the control signal input, and wherein a value of the control signal determines whether a signal received by the audio input during a specified period is transmitted to the audio processor 1506 or the firmware update receiver.